Suction sweeper



Feb.. 27, 1923.;

R. W. WEIR..

sucloN swEEPER.

3 SHEETS SHEET l.

FILED JULY 25.1919.`

`3 sHEETs-sHEET 2.

RLW. WElH.

SUCTION SWEEPER.

HLED1uLY2s,1919.

Feb. 27, 1923.

mlm@

Feb. 27,

R. W. WEIR.

UCTION SWEEPER. I'ILEDJULY25,1919.

a SHE ETS SHEET 3.

. *IRI/Rival? Z8@ W 370 y ft to LRQ/S y Imirri!) #STAT r* orc.

.BOY W. WEIR, OF HAMMOND, INDIANA, lASSIGrIiI'OR TO MARVEL COMPANY, OF

' HAMMOND, INDIANA, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

sUc'rIoN SWEEPER.

Application filed July 25,

v 'provide a new and improved vform of hand operated suction sweeper, particularly of the type wherein aY fan is used to suck up dust laden air and discharge it into a bag.

Another object is to combine .with such a 'suction sweeper an electric motor which, at

the option of the operator, may be used to drive the fan or may b e left entirely out of operation so that the swee-per l'may he used as a hand sweeper or as an electric sweeper."

In the particular form illustrated herewith, I have shown in connection with the fan, a motor of the single phase induction type in which the rotor is secured to the nonmagnetic top of the fan and t-he statoris secured to the `top of the suction cleaner casing. l l

Sweepers of this hand propelled type have been used before wherein there was a train of gears between the supporting axle and jthe fan whereby a forward movement of the housing would cause a rotation of the supporting wheels and thus drive the fan, the rear movement leaving the fan and gea-r train free to go forwardy because it was connected through an overrunning or ratchet clutch. Experience has, however, shown that an apparatus of this type, wherein the overrunning clutch was between the gear train and the axle, as has been the past practice, was not satisfactory because it made it necessary for the fan to carry theI gear train with it as it ran forward, diipating a large proportion of the 'stored energy on the return stroke.l The result was that, owing tothe friction of the gear train, vthe fan decelerated too rapidly and the suction during the return stroke was very much too low. Owing to the ydelay while the fan speeded upl on theforward stroke, it was too low there also. By my invention, I provide a free fan which storesl energy on the forward stroke and which is disconnected altogether from the balance of the mechanism on the 1919. Serial No. 313,228.

sweeper of alternate motor driving and hand.

driving means -which may' be used sepal rately.

i My invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the drawings,wherein Figure l is a bottom view with the driving gear cover removed;

Figure 2 is a vertical 2-f2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 isa horizontal section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2; i

Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line 4 4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a vertical 5-5 of Figure 1. l

Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout.

A is a suction casing-with a suction nozzle A1 vwhich has a suction inlet A2 with a brush section on the line A3 mounted for rotation therein in any rated by contact with the surface to lbeA cleaned, which it engages by thev two `rims B2, B2 surrounding the pulley Band preferably surfaced with rubber or other frio.

tional materia-l. The wheel and the ulley are mounted on the yoke B3 which is plvoted at its front on the underside of the nozzle casing. I The opposite end of theyoke is engaged by the set screw B, the rotation of which adjusts the height of the wheeland" thus of the suction nozzle. The suction casing in its rearward extension forms a relatively flat'platform C on which is mounted the fan casing C1. The fan C2 is mounted therein on the vertical shaft C3. The passage A4 leading from the suction lnozzle surrounds the axis of the fan having a substantially horseshoe shaped inlet An into the botv tom of the fan chamber. The fan shaft peuaccompanying section on the line i etrates the platform C and projects dowu into the gear housing 'D beneath it, and is journalled at D1. The housing D has a removable hou-sing cover D2 intermediate its ends; Within this housing the shaft G3 carries the gear l)3 in engagement with the gear E on the stub shaft El journalled in the bottom of the plate C. Beneaththe gear E is the bev-- eled pinion lEzin engagement with the beveled gear F on the shaft F1 whiclrpenetrates vthe flute member G and within the flu "the gear housing and is rotatably supported in the lugs F2, F2 depending from platform (l. rlhe shaft carries the wheels F3, F3 on which the suctio-n casing is supported, these wheels being preferably surrounded by frictional rings F4, F4 of rubber or other suit- A able material. Within the gear F is a roller ratchet comprising the indentations F5, F5 on the inside of the gear, the rollers l1, F therein and the springs F7, F7 adapted to keep the rollers seated against the bearing surface F8 on the shaft F1. TWhen the machine is pushed forward, by the inclination ofthe ratchet the rollers engage the bearing surface on the shaft and the'ratchet bearing surface on the inside of the gear and the gear rotates with the shaft, taking its rota.- tion from the vfriction of the wheels F3, F3 on the floor. "When the machine is drawn backward or stopped,lthe rollers `are pushed out against the springs but the springs keep them in constant Contact with the bearing f surface so that the clamping action, when the direction is reversed or forward movement stopped, is almost instantaneous. rllhe upper end of'the fan shaft G has milled in ittings l are -positionedthe ratchet rollers G1, G1.

The fan socket G2 engages the ratchet rollers but, is out of contact with the ratchet member and is supported by theball bearing Ur* mounted in the socket at the top of the ratchet member and the ball bearings`G5, G5, at its top .and bottom. It will be understood, 4 of course, that this disposition of ball bearingsmight be varied. It is essential only that the fan rotate as freely as pos-- sible'. When the machine is pushed forward the 'clutch within the fan socket drives the fan; The instant that forward acceleration',ceases, the ratchet clutch automati- Ycally' breaks its connection andthe' fan ro-` tatesl freely on the ball bearing,autilizing all of its force and momentum in maintaining its -ownhsped Mounted on the depending lugsF2, F2 are the projecting studs or screws'H, H on which thevends of the har1 illeloaiif`1l1 are rotatably mounted. The studs H, are so positioned that when the handle bail is in a horizontal position it rests on the shaft F1. When the handle bail is upright-or tiltedslightly forward, it is 'supported by the projections H2, H2f from the casing. The handle Hsof any suitable type is'inounted in the handle bail and'is adapted to support theend of aydust bag 4,' ."v

which\is not'here shown. .The inner'end of such a bag is clamped or otherwise fastened about the outlet end 'I ofthe fan cas-ing. Mounted on the non-magnetic top J of the fan C2 is the rotor K of an induction/ motor. It is built up of the copper rings K1, K1 and between them a plurality of iron ringsf K2, K2, the whole is secured to the top of the fan and fastened together by the copper rivets K3, K3@ This rotor is, of course, integral with and moves with the fan. Secured to the top of the fan casing is a stator L of the motor. lt is built up of a plurality of plates L1, L1 and has about its center the coil L2 which is connected with the plug in the electric connection L3 to which is Vconnected the electric conduit L4.

lt will be understood that while l rep-resent an operative device, the parts and arrangement of parts maybe varied in many ways withoutvdeparting fromthe spirit of fmy invention and I wish, therefore, that my drawings be regarded as in a sense ydiagrammatic.

The use and operation of my invention when it is desired to drive the suction sweeper by hand are as follows The housing or` truck is supported on wheels as shown. These wheels are prefarably rubber tired so that there will be a strong frictional connection between them` and the floor or floor covering. The nozzle carried by the housing or frame work ex` tends down close to the door covering, and there is a suction passage leading from it to the fan chamber. rlhere is a gear train enclosed within a dust tight housingand leading from the axle to the-fan and driving it. The fan discharges the dustlade'n air through a passage into a' dust bag supported partially on the housing and parico tially on the operating/handle, whereby the tained, while the air passes on.

rlhe overrunning clutch is located within the fan hubso that the gear train works back and forth as the apparatus moves back and' forth across -the floor. This possibly makes themachine a little heavier to push on the return stroke but the resistance is negligible compared' with the resistance'to the movement ofthe apparatus itself, across the Hoor, and a great advantage accrues in that the fan is Ithus permitted to rotate freely and without having to carry the gear train .with it. Thus it keepsv its speed and does effective cleaning `on the return stroke as ,well as on the vforward stroke, and experience show-s that it maintains, at all times, a `speed suiiciently high to do effettivel cleaning. ISince the friction gear itself is not driven on the back stroke, wear and tear is reduced, and thev weight of the stroke required is lessened. J

when the cleaner is stationary, it will not l' rotate the fan. It' will, however, drive the yfan in either direction and itrequires only a small initial thrust to start it, after which it will r evolve at a high rate of speed and will produce sufiicient suction for all cleaning purposes. `In order to use the motor driven feature, the current is turned oni and the sweeper is pushed forward Slightly; This is suiiicient to startthe motor, when it will revolve of its own accord irrespective of the motion of the sweeper and the sweeper may then be used exactly like any other motor driven sweeper.

Although I have illustrated a particular type of electric motor, it is, of course, obvious that other types may be used and I do not wishvtobe limited to the particular type shown, as the principle of my invention applies equally well to a` sweeper wherein there is a combination of the hand driving means with the motor driving means in which any other type of electricm'otor is used.

Ifclaim:-.

l. In a suction cleaner a fan chamber, a

:fan therein comprising a fiat circular plate with. fan blades downwardly depending to the fan blades.

2. In a suction cleaner a fan chamber, a fantherein comprising a flat circular plate with fan blades downwardly depending therefrom, an electric m'otorloca-ted within the fan chamber, the rotor of the electric motor being rigidly mounted on the outer' periphery of the plate on the side opposed to the fan blades, the stator of the motor being located immediately above the plate within the rotor.

3. In a vacuum cleaner a fan, an electric motor having its rotor integral with the fan, an overrunning clutch associated withthe fan, supporting wheels for the cleaner and means for driving the fan through said wheels and said overrunning clutch.

4. A suction cleaner comprising a fan and an electric motor which motor has no starting torque, together with means manually controlled by the operator for starting the motor, the starting means comprising driving and supporting wheelsland an overrunning clutch interposed between them and the fan`wl1ereby a movement of the machine starts tlie'rotation of the fan.

5. In a lsuction cleaner, the combination with the casing thereof, and a fan located therein` of a motor associated directly with said fan. for power operation thereof, man,- ually-operated mea-ns geared to the fan for driving the latter independently of its power operation, and 'a driving connection included in the gearing between ther fan and the manually-operated driving means for rendering the fan operable alternatively by the motor or the manually-operated means 6. In a suction c1eaner,'the combination wit-h'the casing thereof, arid a fan-located therein, of a motor associated directly with said fan for'power operation thereof, manually-operated means geared to the fan for driving the latter independently of its power operation, and an over-running clutchv included in the gearing'between the fan and the manually-operated driving. means for rendering the fan operable alternatively by the mot-or or the manually-operated means.

7. In a suction cleaner, the combination with the casing thereof, and a fan located therein, of a motor associated directly with said fan for power operation thereof, said motor having no starting torque, manuallyoperated means for driving the fan and 'initiatingaf torque in said motor, and a driving connection included in said manuallyoperated means and serving to disconnect the fan from the manually-operated means when operation of the motor has accelerated to a predetermined point..

8. In a suction cleaner, the combination` with the casing thereof, and a fan located therein, of a-motor associated directly with said fan for power operation thereof, said motor lhaving no starting torque, manuallyoperatedv means for driving the fan and over-running clutch included in said manually-operated means and serving to disconnect the fan from the manually-operated means when operation of the motor has accelerated to a predeterminedI point.

9. In a suction cleaner, the combination with the casing thereof, and a fan located therein, of a motor associated directly with said fan for power operation thereof, said motor having no starting torque, the"rotcr of sald motor being mounted upon and operating with the fan, and the stator of the' motor being mounted upon the cleaner' casing, manually-operated means geared vtotheinitiatinga torque in said motor,and an -motor` bein mounted upon tile cleaner cas- In testimony whereof, I aiix my signai ing, manua ly-operated means geared to the ture in the presence of two Witnesses this I0 fan for driving the latter and for initiating 23rd day of .Hbf/1919. a, torque in the motor and an over-running clutch included in said manually-operated ROY W WEIR' means for disconnecting the fan from the Witnesses:

latter when the speed of the motor is afs-- AGNES C. JoHNsoN,

celerated to a prfedetermined point. EDNA" R. PETERSON 

